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The Gov Hub: December 11, 2023

The Gov Hub: December 11, 2023

Gov Hub
December 11, 2023

Welcome to The Gov Hub Newsletter by Girl and the Gov®. This weekly pop of politics is designed to share action items, resources, and quick links to civic engagement tools and topics. Typos are included free of charge.

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THE ACTION ITEMS

Jump right in

ACTION 1:

The Ask: Pledge to support pro-climate candidates in 2024.

The Action: Take the pledge via EDF Action, here.

The Background: President Biden's clean energy plan has catalyzed a clean energy and clean manufacturing boom. Companies have announced more than 270 new clean energy projects, which will result in 170,000 jobs. And according to EDF research, the EV manufacturing sector is going to create 179,318 new jobs and $165.1 billion in new investments in states all across the country. These are big wins, but we need way more of them, which requires electing pro-climate candidates. Make sure that happens by pledging to be a pro-climate voter yourself and getting your friends on board by sharing the wins that are possible when these candidates become elected officials.

ACTION 2:

The Ask: Tell the EPA to finalize new, revised greenhouse gas standards for heavy-duty trucks and buses.

The Action: Sign this petition from the Sierra Club.

The Background: The standards of the Clean Truck Plan will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that trucks and buses emit, cleaning up pollution from large vehicles on the roads like transit buses, school buses, delivery trucks, and garbage trucks. In addition to contributing to the climate crisis, these vehicles are a major threat to public health for millions of Americans and are especially dangerous for marginalized communities across the nation that live next to major freight corridors. The sooner we get these standards finalized, the sooner we can start seeing results, which is why we need to tell the EPA to put the pedal to the medal.

ACTION 3:

The Ask: Tell Congress to recognize the Equal Rights Amendment.

The Action: Sign this petition from the ERA Coalition.

The Background: It’s 2023 and the ERA is still MIA. It’s been 100 years as of Wednesday the 13th, since the ERA was first intro’d in the good ol’ House of Representatives, and it’s well past time for it to make a transition to permanent, in the Constitution, status. Show your support for this move with the petition linked above and by attending the ERA Coalition march in DC on the 13th.

ICYMI → BONUS ACTION ITEM BROUGHT TO YOU BY COHERUS BIOSCIENCES

Coherus Biosciences is taking on Big Pharma, offering life-changing FDA-approved biosimilar medications at a fraction of the cost. The global biosimilar company strives to offer patients affordable medical treatment, and they’re hoping that their latest release, Yusimry, will help the five million veterans currently battling arthritis. Despite the VA expressing support for biosimilars in the past, they’ve been dragging their feet with adding new options to their National Formulary. Remind Congress that limited options mean longer wait times for veterans, and it's time for them to get the care they deserve by sending them this pre-written digital note.

Looking for more action items? Check out our library of past Gov Hub’s.

FULL SEND…TO A FRIEND

Just about guaranteed to make it to the group chat

The ACLU has decided to take the NRA on as a client… in a case where it asserts that the NY Department of Financial Services abused its regulatory power in a way that violated the NRA’s first amendment rights… the NYCLU affiliate’s response is the temperature in the room on this one.

Jake Tapper with the “classic rubric – he indicted him to protect him” sarcastic retort to GOP Congressman Comer on the nine federal criminal charges Hunter Biden is facing, is a mix of LOL x could these GOP’ers use their creativity for something more useful...plz.

We’re women in America…and this is our reality.

This org is doing some really cool shit to restore coastal areas of Louisiana. Get involved with their mission here.

The ‘name one woman’ challenge took an interesting turn with this response.

Second Husband Doug Emhoff slammed uni presidents that testified before Congress on antisemitism… which in their answers shed light on how antisemitism has been incubated on campuses. So far, UPenn’s President Liz Magill, as well as UPenn’s Chair of the University Board, Scott Bok have resigned. The jury is still out on what other school presidents will do, and at-large how universities plan to tackle the pervasive antisemitism that’s permeating.

The Minnesota GOP is saying ‘put your dukes up’ to free school lunch and breakfast because learning on a full tummy is just too much to bear. Meanwhile, let’s throw it in reverse to when Governor Walz signed the Universal School Meals bill that granted all free school lunch and breakfast to all kids, into law.

Soon to no longer be a member of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy made a statement about what the GOP looks like…and he’s not wrong… but he then went and endorsed Trump for prez and said he’d be open to being in Trump’s cabinet so….

HIT PLAY

The 2024 get your friends to vote guide

How do you react to the friend that says “my vote doesn’t matter?” You send them this episode with Rudy Garrett, the VP of Capacity Building at Alliance for Youth Action. Rudy thoughtfully walks listeners through what is at stake in 2024 and the critical importance of voting up and down every ballot, every election szn. She also shares tips for you on how to have encouraging and productive convos with friends about voting – and her ideas do not disappoint. Also covered are deats on voter registration options, maker voter plans, and means and methods for getting prepped in an election cycle and szn that’s draining just about everyone’s last remaining bit of energy. Hit play Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, and again, make sure you share it with a friend [or ten].

BOOKMARK IT

Don’t lose the link you love; bookmark it

THE BIDEN PROMISE TRACKER: A great tool from PolitiFact, the tracker keeps an eye on 99 of the Biden campaign circa 2020’s promises to the American public if elected. Now, heading into the next election cycle [jk, we’re already in it], this tracker provides an evolving status report on where these 99 promises are at. Take a scroll through and bookmark the tracker here.

GOOD NEWS BEARS

A positive political read [yes, those do exist]

WISCONSIN’S 1849 ABORTION LAW STRUCK DOWN: We covered this a wee-bit in Friday’s Gov Hub drop, but it feels like something that needs to be kept top of mind: an 1849 law on the books in Wisconsin was creating a dangerous roadblock and ban on abortion in the state. A circuit court judge ruled [and reaffirmed] last week that this law in fact did not ban/prohibit abortion. The judge specifically called out that the law is meant to apply to feticide and not abortion – two very separate things. And, as of this latest ruling, the state’s pre-Dobbs abortion law has been restored with the procedure available up to 20 weeks, although still with many accessibility roadblocks in place. All that to be said, this isn’t the final see-ya later to the 1849 law, which is expected through court battle royales to make it to the state supreme court – a court that now has a liberal majority, thanks to the election of Justice Janet Protasiewicz. The hope is with the current state supreme court lay of the land, that the law will be toast forever and always. Time will tell.

WAIT, WAIT UPDATE ME

ICYMI, political ongoings in no particular order

OHIO WOMAN WILL FACE GRAND JURY OVER MISSCARIAGE: Brittany Watts, an Ohio resident will face a grand jury after being accused with the felony charge last month of ‘abuse of a corpse’ for miscarrying into a toilet in her home. The grand jury step comes after testimony further underscoring that her pregnancy was not only not viable, but that the fetus was not alive before exiting her body. Watts had also visited a hospital twice beforehand. The case and the charges show a terrifying path for women who miscarry – which when put to the numbers translates to 26% of pregnancies resulting in miscarriages. Criminalizing bodily functions is not it, nor is continually retraumatizing women for those functions much out of their control. Watts is currently out on bond and has entered a not guilty plea. If she were to be convicted, she could spend up to two years in prison…for her miscarriage.

TEXAS SUPREME COURT BLOCKS WOMAN FROM EMERGENCY ABORTION: The chilling example of life in a post-Roe America continues, with the Texas Supreme Court ‘temporarily’ blocking Kate Cox, a mother of two, from obtaining an emergency abortion due to a lethal fetal abnormality. The nonviable pregnancy puts Kate’s future fertility and life in grave danger, yet despite that factor, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has stepped in front of her medically necessary healthcare…and…for what? If it’s “for the women and children,” this response hits it on the nail. The case began because Kate sued the state in order to obtain a court-ordered abortion – the fact that that’s even necessary is terrifying. A lower court gave her the go-ahead. Then corrupt Ken said even if the court had given her the thumbs up, the doctor(s) doing the procedure could still be charged with felonies – because being charged criminally for doing one’s job makes so much sense. And then, Ken petitioned the state supreme court to intervene, leaving us at this current juncture where the court has blocked Kate from getting the healthcare she needs. This specific case is an evolving story and movement is likely to happen throughout the coming days. Stay tuned.

PREGNANT KENTUCKY WOMAN SUES STATE OVER ABORTION BAN: SM abortion-related news happening RN, including a Kentucky woman who filed a lawsuit under an anonymous pseudonym ‘Jane Doe’ demanding the right to an abortion. The class action lawsuit directly challenges the state’s six-week ban and trigger law total ban which both prevent the 8-week pregnant woman from being able to obtain an abortion in her state, Kentucky. The lawsuit has eight key claims and has the support of reproductive rights advocates like Planned Parenthood Kentucky. The goal is to have the state’s two current abortion laws deemed unconstitutional and thus null. The approach being taken is that those pursuing the lawsuit are suffering irreparable harm as a result of being denied abortions.

NUNS SUE SMITH & WESSON OVER ASSAULT WEAPONS SALES: A coalition of Catholic nuns were having nun of what gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson has been serving up, filing a lawsuit against the company that calls for the manufacturer to stop making AR-style rifles. This lawsuit is not the nun’s first rodeo in trying to turn the tides on gun violence via their role as shareholders of the Smith & Wesson – they’ve been activist investors in the company for some time, using strategic shareholder methodologies to influence the direction of the company. Albeit, these strategies haven’t necessarily succeeded, but this approach may change that record. This particular lawsuit against the company’s board was filed in Nevada and alleges that the company has failed to respond properly to mass shootings across the country and that the AR-style rifles they produce are the leading choice for mass shooters. It also alleges that the board has turned a blind eye to the legal risks of producing such weapons, as well as has used aesthetic marketing to attract young buyers. These reasons, in addition to the company failing to have a tracking system for deaths related to its products, have formed the argument for the nuns that the company has breached its duties to shareholders [the nuns included]. The ‘ask’ of the argument is outlined in reporting from the Washington Post: “The suit calls on Smith & Wesson to revise its policies to protect the company and stockholders “from a repeat of the damaging events.” In their statement Tuesday, the nuns urged Smith & Wesson to return to its production cycle pre-2006 — before it manufactured long guns and “held itself as a successful beacon of responsible gun ownership.” Where will this land? We’ll just have to see.

A SPECIAL MESSAGE BROUGHT TO YOU FROM FOSSI

Calling all future STEM professionals-in-training!

If you’re a high school senior thinking about college applications, check out the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative’s [FOSSI] scholarship! FOSSI is offering $40,000 scholarships to students applying to STEM programs at HBCUs! Applications are now open, and you can learn more by following this link [and sharing it with a friend that’s excited to begin their career in STEM].

Inbox musts and mentions

ADAM KINZINGER X SUBSTACK: The former GOP Congressman’s Substack newsletter provides his unique POV on the fight to protect democracy. Specifically, the newsletter extrapolates worrying trends from current political behaviors – even the ones that give us all a laugh – and highlights what these behaviors signal. Give it a read here.

PBS NEWSHOUR: Droppin’ like it’s hot every Tuesday and Friday, the newsletter provides the latest political coverage from PBS Newshour. It’s as digestible as it is in depth, and is available to subscribe to, here.

KEY STORIES TO HAVE ON YOUR RADAR

Stories from around the USA

CBS: Elon Musk restores X account of Alex Jones, right-wing conspiracy theorist banned for abusive behavior
AP: Massachusetts attorney general files civil rights lawsuit against white nationalist group
Politico: Her Online Sex Life Was Exposed. She Lost Her Election. Now She’s Speaking Out.
The Hill: 5 takeaways from the latest indictment of Hunter Biden

ATLAS

Stories from around the globe - section background avail here

PBS: Who are the Houthis and why hasn’t the U.S. retaliated for their attacks on ships in the Middle East?
NPR: Iran blocks Mahsa Amini’s family from collecting a human rights prize in her name
AP: In inaugural speech, Argentina’s Javier Milei prepares nation for painful shock adjustment
CNN: Away from threat of Islamist violence of floods, health risk for pregnant women in Nigeria’s refugee camps remain high

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Offer valid through December 31, 2023

CANDIDATE WATCH ‘24

The following Dems have said put me in coach for….

CALIFORNIA: Former San Jose, CA Mayor Sam Liccardo is running for Congress in the 16th Congressional District. Learn more about his campaign here.

CALIFORNIA: Running for the same congressional seat shared above, is CA Assemblymember Evan Low. Learn more about his campaign here.

MINNESOTA: MN State Senator Kelly Morrison has announced that she’s running for Dean Phillips congressional seat. Learn more about her campaign here.